The present invention relates generally to a rotary heat exchanger intended to be used in, for example, a gas turbine.
It is known to make rotary heat exchangers in the form of a disc of porous ceramic material mounted within a metallic rim having outer teeth that mesh with one or more driving pinions. In practice, difficulty is encountered in sealing such discs and in ensuring the integrity of the connection between the ceramic disc and the metallic rim due to the difference between the coefficients of expansion of ceramic and steel. Moreover, known drive techniques, namely, cutting of gear teeth into the solid outer ring of the core and driving the ring with a metal spur gear do not provide both support and drive.